Sweet Valentine (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: Steve and Catherine on Valentine's Day.


**Notes:** Mari and Sammy – you two are the best of the best. I am grateful that I can share the highs and the lows with you because you are absolutely REAL friends.

Readers and REAL McRollers – thank you for the incredible level of support you continue to show for the REAL World. You truly amaze and inspire us.

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Sweet Valentine (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

**5:25am**

Blinking awake as he felt Catherine stir, Steve rolled to his side and pulled her close. He pressed his chest to her back and brushed her hair aside so he could kiss her bare shoulder.

"Mmmmm," she moaned sleepily. "G'morning."

"Morning," he said, settling his head on her pillow.

He gave her hip a light squeeze before running a hand up and down her leg in a languid caress.

After a moment, she turned onto her back, and he shifted to slide one arm beneath her neck as he leaned down to kiss her. She cupped his cheek, deepening the kiss. As his right hand drifted down her body, she let her own hand drop back beside her head where his other hand lay. He interlaced their fingers and released her lips to watch her response to his touch.

Her grip on his fingers tightened as she gasped his name.

He leaned down to kiss her again but before their lips met they were interrupted by the buzzing of his phone.

Catherine groaned, and Steve dropped his forehead to her shoulder.

"You have got to be kid–" he started. "_Today_?"

She chuckled mirthlessly and ran a hand through his hair as he inhaled deeply and raised his head.

He rolled over to grab the offending device. "McGarrett," he said, sitting up.

As Steve listened, Catherine stretched then sat up. She swung her legs around to the floor just as he said, "Okay, we'll be there in twenty."

He ended the call and met her eyes as she looked back at him over her shoulder.

"Double homicide," he said. "I guess some people just have no sense of romance."

"Good thing we didn't make any plans."

He acknowledged the point with a nod then stood and began dressing. "I'll get some coffee going and take Cammie out if you want to hop in the shower real quick."

At his words, Cammie headed for the bedroom door to wait.

"Okay," Catherine said as she stood. "I'll be down in five."

Steve pulled a clean shirt over his head as he crossed the room.

"Hey," he said before Catherine disappeared into the bathroom.

She turned back and raised her eyebrows in question. He stepped close and gave her a soft kiss.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said with a rueful smile.

She smiled back. "Happy Valentine's Day."

He glanced toward the bed, motioning toward it with his chin. "We'll get back to that later?"

"Oh, absolutely."

He smiled, kissed her once more, and followed Cammie out the bedroom door.

* * *

**6:50pm**

A little over thirteen hours later, Steve and Catherine arrived home. Steve knelt to greet Cammie as Catherine finished her phone conversation.

"We got pretty lucky. Everything broke our way, and we've got the guy in custody." She paused to listen. "Yeah, we ate earlier. Hey, thank you again, Esther. We really appreciate you coming by . . . I felt bad calling on Valentine's Day." She paused again. "Okay, well, enjoy dinner with your . . . _friend_," she said and winked at Steve. "Thanks again. Have a good weekend."

She ended the call and pocketed her phone before kneeling to greet an eager Cammie.

"A 'friend,' huh?" Steve asked with a smirk.

"That's what she said."

He shrugged and scratched the back of his head.

"I suppose we can't really talk," he said. "We did the uh . . . 'friend' thing, too, for a while."

"Yeah," she said as she straightened and stepped closer to him. "We did."

He placed a hand at her waist and smiled at her.

Cammie looked between the two of them, tail wagging, and they glanced down at her.

"I'll take her out," Steve said.

"Okay. I'm gonna take a shower," she said. She toyed with the hem of his t-shirt. "Then maybe we pick up where we left off this morning . . . ?"

The corner of his mouth rose in a half smile, and he echoed her words from earlier in a low voice. "Oh, absolutely."

She leaned up and kissed him lingeringly before heading for the stairs.

He took a few steps further into the living room, and Cammie took her cue and headed for the backdoor. Steve paused and glanced up as Catherine disappeared into the bedroom. He looked over at Cammie who was regarding him from the lanai door.

"I'll be right there, Cammie," he said. "Just gotta do one thing first . . ."

* * *

**7:05pm**

Catherine stepped into the bedroom wrapped in a towel after her shower and pulled the clip out of her hair. She stopped in place when she saw a bright red heart-shaped box of chocolates on her pillow.

"Aww," she said to the empty room.

With a smile on her face, she set her clip down on her bedside table and picked up the box. She opened it and removed the liner. Her brow knitted as she looked inside.

Chuckling, she shook her head and rolled her eyes just as Steve entered the room with Cammie at his heels.

Cammie headed for her bed in the corner while Steve smiled broadly when he saw Catherine holding the box. He stepped up beside her.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Thank you," she said and touched his cheek as she kissed him. When they broke apart, she tilted her head and quirked an eyebrow. "Were they running a special on partially eaten boxes?"

Steve opened his mouth to speak but stopped and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You took a _really_ long shower," he said.

She scoffed. "I did not."

He paused, and she raised her eyebrows.

Finally, he exhaled heavily and said, "I had it since Monday, I just . . ."

She chuckled and shook her head. "Didn't I warn you about that once?"

He shook his head and squinted slightly in thought. "Umm . . . I don't . . . uh . . ."

"Long flight? Couple years ago?" She asked leadingly. "Ringing any bells, Commander?"

* * *

**Valentine's Day 2012**

Catherine and Steve stood in the aisle of the plane, stowing their bags in the overhead compartment. Before putting her bag up, Catherine removed the heart-shaped box of candy Steve had brought when he had surprised her at the hotel.

"You gonna share those chocolates?" he asked.

"Wasn't planning on it," she said, her eyes full of mischief.

"Wh–?" he began. He motioned at the box. "I bought the big box so we could split it."

Catherine rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I'm gonna give you a little advice. You want a girl to be impressed with your Valentine's gift, don't tell her you bought it so that you could have some."

Steve smirked at her teasing. "Got it. That is good advice."

She handed him the box by smacking him lightly in the stomach with it. "Don't you dare eat the cherry cordials," she warned before zipping up her duffel and putting it in the overhead bin.

He smiled broadly and held up a hand in mock defense. "Hey, I value my life."

"Smart man."

They arranged themselves in their seats with Catherine by the window and Steve on the aisle for a little extra leg room. After the usual safety announcement and a routine takeoff, they settled in for the long flight.

"All right, let's crack this thing open," Steve said, pulling off the red lid of the box.

"Before dinner?"

"We're living on the edge, Rollins."

She gave a little snort. "Is that so?"

"Yup."

He handed her the opened box and examined the inside of the lid.

"No, uh . . . no guide to what's what," he said.

"Thought we were living on the edge."

"Yeah, but a map would be nice."

He leaned over the armrest a little for a better look at the chocolates.

"I know most of these," Catherine said. She smiled at him. "Grandma Ang always got my parents and me a Whitman's Sampler for Valentine's Day. So I know this," she pointed to a smaller round chocolate with a swirl on the top, "is a cherry cordial."

"Okay, I'll steer clear of that one. And it's partner over there." He pointed at the identical chocolate on the other side of the box.

"Here, you can have this one," she said, handing him a rectangular chocolate with a striped pattern on top.

"What's this?"

"Molasses chew."

He took a bite, nodding slowly as he determined whether he liked the taste. "Pretty good," he finally said after finishing the very chewy concoction.

"Yeah? Excellent. You can have the other one, too."

"Not your favorite?" he asked.

"Not so much."

He chuckled. "Oh, I see how it is. You're gonna give me the ones you don't like."

"Not _just_ the ones I don't like," she said, smiling.

He grinned. "No, no, that's fine. What else?" he asked, tilting his chin toward the box in question.

She pointed to one of the small paper cups. "Pecan walnut cluster. I'm not a fan."

"Okay."

"And I don't really like these caramel things," she said, pointing out two square chocolates.

"Thought you liked caramel," he said, confused.

"I do. I just . . . don't really like this particular candy. The caramel's too hard."

He nodded. "All right. Consider 'em eaten."

She smiled. "Here." She handed him a round chocolate.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Go on."

He popped it in his mouth and chewed. "Mmm," he said and swallowed. "Now I _know_ you like coconut."

"I do. But I know you do, too." She smiled and ate an identical chocolate to the one he had just enjoyed.

They shared a smile, and Catherine reached for the lid.

"How about we save the rest of these for after our meal?" she said.

He nodded, and she closed the box, holding it in her lap.

"What?" He chuckled. "Are you gonna guard it the whole flight? Don't you trust me?"

She smiled. "You know the answer to that."

He returned her smile then glanced up. "Seatbelt sign is off. Give it here." He unfastened his seatbelt and stood.

"Thank you," she said and handed him the box.

He stowed it in the overhead compartment then sat back down and re-fastened his seatbelt.

"So Grandma Ang is a fan of the Whitman's Sampler, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"How's she doing?"

"Good," she said with a broad smile. "I talked to her and my parents a couple weeks ago. They asked after you."

He smiled.

"You gonna see 'em soon?" he asked.

"Yeah, hopefully I can make a trip once this assignment is done."

He nodded and said, "Good."

They continued to talk companionably about mutual friends until their dinners arrived.

Catherine cut into her teriyaki chicken and took a bite.

"Mmm," she said. "That's good."

She took another bite.

Steve finished a piece of his beef tenderloin and motioned to her plate with his fork. "How do you like your Valentine's Day dinner?" he asked.

She swallowed her food. "It's very romantic," she said, fighting a smile.

"Definitely," he said, snagging a zucchini from her plate and eating it. "I mean, we're eating together. And we . . . well, technically we had reservations."

She speared one of his potatoes and raised an eyebrow at him in question.

"Plane ticket reservations, but . . . you know. Close," he said with a smirk.

She grinned. "Oh, you think this counts?"

He shrugged. "At least we made it to dinner."

"I'll give you that," she said, motioning toward him with her glass before she took a drink of her water.

"Let's get a little mood lighting here," he said and reached up to turn on the reading lights above their seats.

She laughed. "Oh, well, now it's perfect."

He grinned before his expression turned more serious.

"I'm sorry about this weekend, Cath," he said.

"Steve, please. It's okay," she said sincerely. "These are the lives we've chosen. We have responsibilities. Things are gonna come up. I understand that."

He held her gaze and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, you always have."

"Sometimes it's you, sometimes it's me."

He nodded. "Yeah," he said softly. "I'll make it up to you."

She smiled softly. "You already have."

He returned her smile, and they continued eating.

After their trays had been cleared, they relaxed in their seats.

Catherine glanced at Steve and motioned to his forehead.

"You gonna tell me how you got the uh . . . the stitches there?" she asked.

"Ah . . ." he waved a hand. "Later."

"You're looking a little tired," she said, concern slipping into her voice. "More than a little."

He shook his head and gave a little smile. "I'm fine."

"I've heard that before. Why don't you sleep?"

He shook his head again. "I'm okay. You were telling me about running into Mike Adams . . ." he prompted.

She smiled knowingly but obliged him with the story, keeping her voice slow and soothing.

As she was talking, she felt a little pressure on her upper arm and glanced over to see he had fallen asleep. She smiled.

"There we go," she said quietly. "That must have been some case." She sighed fondly as she looked at him. "Happy Valentine's Day, Commander."

* * *

**Present Day**

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I think I do recall some advice about Valentine's gifts . . ." Steve said with a half smile on his face.

"And as _I _recall," Catherine countered, prodding his abdomen with the box of chocolates. "After dinner you fell asleep and slept for most of the flight."

Steve feigned confusion. "I . . . don't recall that quite as clearly."

She laughed and said, "I'm not surprised. You were dead to the world. Snoring and everything."

"I don't snore," he insisted.

Catherine barked a laugh. "Ha! Yeah. Okay," she said, grinning.

Steve shifted with a shrug and said, "Well, maybe at that altitude."

She clucked her tongue. "Oh, my . . ." she said, rolling her eyes and smiling.

She set the box on the bed and rested the lid on top. Turning back to him, she lifted her arms and draped them around his shoulders. She stepped closer as he slid his hands around her waist and looked down at her.

"Still," she continued, now serious. "It was one of the best Valentine's Days I've ever had."

"Yeah?" he asked, his smile growing.

"Of course. We were together," she said. "That right there puts it near the top of the list. We haven't had many of those."

"That's true."

"And that's all I really need."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her.

After a moment he pulled back and his smile turned teasing.

"All you need, huh?" At her nod, he continued, "So I could've eaten a few more of those chocolates . . ."

"Let's not get carried away."

He laughed and kissed her again.

"Don't worry," he said. "I didn't eat the cherry cordials."

"I always knew you were smart," she murmured before kissing him.

After a moment he pulled back and brushed her hair back from her shoulder. He bent to press his lips along her neck and in between kisses asked, "So . . . what'd you get me?"

Catherine started to speak but a gasp came out instead as he kissed her jaw.

Swallowing, she tried again. "We said we weren't getting each other anything," she said, a little breathless.

"Yeah, but . . . come on," he said as his lips reached her ear.

She smiled, running her hands through his hair and guiding him to kiss his way back down her neck. "Yeah, you weren't the only one who went shopping this week."

"So . . .?" he breathed.

She turned her head to whisper in his ear, "It's a _secret_."

She felt his smile against the skin of her shoulder.

"Does that 'secret' come in a little pink striped bag?"

"It might."

He straightened enough to look at her, mouth twitching and eyes alight.

"Those are my favorite secrets," he said before kissing her.

As she lifted on her toes to deepen the kiss, he brought his hands up to untuck her towel. It fell to the floor, and he guided her down to the bed.

"Thought you wanted your present," she said, tugging his shirt up and over his head.

"I think you're the one who's always saying clothes are overrated," he said as his shirt joined her towel.

He kissed her hungrily and as he shifted her to lie fully on the bed, they knocked the box of chocolates to the floor.

"Oh, wait," she said and pushed on his shoulder. "Pick that up."

His eyes widened. "Really? You're worried about the chocolate right now?"

"Steve . . ."

"What are we . . . enforcing the five-second rule?" He looked over his shoulder. "It's fine, only like three actually fell out, we'll get it later."

He moved to kiss her again.

"But Cammie . . ." she said.

He blinked. "Right," he said. "You're right."

They looked over to the corner where Cammie had raised her head curiously.

"Lie back down, sweetie," Catherine told her. "It's okay."

The dog obediently resumed her previous position.

Steve shifted off the bed and knelt to pick up the chocolates.

"Put it up where she can't get to it," Catherine said as she moved further up the bed and leaned back on her hands. A sultry smile appeared on her face when he looked at her. "I think we're going to be . . . _busy_ for a while."

He stood and placed the box on her bedside table, his own smile growing. Before he placed the lid on the box, he plucked a cherry cordial from inside and held it out toward her.

"One before, one after?" he asked, his voice husky.

She held his gaze and opened her mouth to accept the chocolate. He let the tip of his finger rest against her lower lip for a heartbeat before his hand dropped.

Their eyes still locked, she swallowed the sweet candy as she watched him strip off the rest of his clothes.

Smiling, she said, "Come and make up for those chocolates you ate."

His voice dropped even lower. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Much later, Catherine lay on her side watching Steve doze. With a smile on her face, she slowly rolled the muscles in her back and neck. As she stretched, she caught the red of the candy box out of the corner of her eye.

She glanced back at Steve and, biting her lip, turned over carefully to avoid waking him. She quietly opened the box, reached inside for a chocolate, and took a bite.

She felt Steve's knuckles lightly trace down her spine and looked back at his sleepy face.

Smiling, she swallowed the bite in her mouth and turned onto her stomach to offer him the rest of the piece.

"Toffee chip?"

"Nah, you like those," he said, his eyes half-lidded.

She popped the rest of the chocolate in her mouth and finished it.

"Coconut?" she asked next.

Again he shook his head, a slight smile on his face. Her brow knitted slightly and she looked back at the open box, studying the contents.

She smiled with a sigh of realization and looked back at him.

"You only ate the ones I don't really like," she said.

"I only ate the ones you don't really like," he confirmed.

"So you ate two molasses chews, a pecan walnut cluster, and those caramel things for me?"

"I did," he said. He winced slightly. "And one of the coconuts. I _did_ have the box since Monday."

She gave a little chuckle, then smiled sincerely. "That is actually very sweet."

She shifted closer and kissed him, caressing his cheek.

"Ooh," he said and kissed her again. "So's that." He brushed her hair back and kissed her once more.

When they pulled apart, he gave her a sleepy smile.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said. "I love you."

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. He curled an arm around her shoulder as she stretched hers across his chest.

"I love you," she murmured contentedly and smiled as his other hand found hers on his chest and entwined their fingers. "Happy Valentine's Day."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Note: **I can neither confirm nor deny whether a Whitman's Sampler was purchased and consumed during the last week . . . but if it was, it was purely for research purposes.

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**Thank you again for all your incredible support! Happy Valentine's Day, REAL McRollers!**


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